SC issues notice to Chhattisgarh government on Soni Sori bail plea

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday admitted the bail plea of Soni Sori, a tribal teacher and journalist Lingaram Kodopi, who are in jail for their alleged links with Maoists, and sought response from Chhattisgarh government.

A bench of justices SS Nijjar and FM Ibrahim Kalifulla issued notice to the state government on the plea of Sori and Kodopi and directed it to respond by October 28 when the case will be taken up for further hearing.

They approached the Apex Court challenging the Chhattisgarh High Court order denying them bail on July 8. They were arrested for allegedly receiving money on behalf of Maoists from the Essar group in Chhattisgarh.

36-year-old Sori and her activist-nephew Kodopi (25) were arrested on charges of acting as Maoist conduits in alleged payouts of protection money by the group to Maoists.

According to police, Kodopi and BK Lala, a building contractor with Essar Steel Ltd, were nabbed with Rs 15 lakh cash, which was allegedly meant to be paid to Maoist on September 9, 2011, from a weekly market at Palnar village in Dantewada district.

Police had claimed that Sori was also associated with Kodopi, but she managed to flee the spot. Sori was arrested on October 4, 2011, in New Delhi and Essar Steel Ltd's General Manager DVCS Verma was also arrested in this connection. However, the Dantewada district court had granted bail to Verma and contractor BK Lala.